Baby-carriage.



N0. 83l',571. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. F. H. RODRIGUBS. BABY CARRIAGE.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT,23.1B05.

a- 11mg 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. RODRIGUES, OF (IONNELLSVILLE. PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO GEORGE T. (JRlFFlN, OF UONNELLSVILLE, PENN SYL- VANIA.

BABY-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

To all w/wmit Duty concur/t.

Be it known that I, FRANK H. Ronni- GUEs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Baby-Carriage, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in baby-carriages.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofbaby-carriages, more especially the means for steering the same, and toprovide a simple and inexpensive construction for enabling the directionof the front wheels of a baby-carriage to be readily changed withoutlifting them from the round and also without releasing the handles bymeans of which the baby-carriage is propelled.

further object of the invention is to enable the steering mechanism forchanging the direction of the front wheels to be readily locked againstmovement with the front wheels straight or in alinelnent with the rear 25 wheels when the carriage is left in the charge of a small child orother incompetent person.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construc- 35 tion within the scope of the claims may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the drawings, Figure l is'a plan view of the running-gear of ababy-carriage provided with steering mechanism constructed in accordancewith this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the wheelsof the near side being removed to show the construction more clearly.Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, illustrating the construction forlocking the steering-lever at a central point. Fig. 4 is an enlargeddetail perspective view illustrating the arrangement of thesteering-lever. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View illustrating themanner of securing the wheels on the pivotally-mounted spindles of thefront axle. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating theconstruction for locking the steering mechanism out of operation. Fig. 7is a detail sectional view on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a detailperspective view of the substantially T- shaped lever which cooperateswith the looking device for holding the steering mechanisnioutofoperation. Fig. 9isa detail viewof the guide or keeper for theoperating-lever.

Like numerals of reference designate cor.- responding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates the front axle of the runninggear of a baby-carriageprovided with pivotally-mounted spindles 22, to which is secured frontsteering-wheels 3. The front axle is rigidly secured to the side bars 4of the running-gear and is provided with enlarged ends havingvertically-alined perforated ears 5, which are spaced apart to receivethe inner portions of the front spindles 2. The front spindles 2, whichare pivoted between the ears by vertical pins 6, are pr0- vided withrearwardly-disposed arms 7, arranged at right angles to the spindles andconnected by a pair of transverse links 8 with a rearwardly-extendingarm 9 of a substantially T-shaped lever 10. The lever 10 is alsoprovided with inwardly and outwardly extending transversely-disposedarms 11 and. 12, and the said rearwardly-extending arm 9 has its outeror rear end enlarged and provided with a pair of laterally-projectingears 13, which are ivoted by a pin 14 or other suitable fastening deviceto the inner ends of the transversely-disposed links 8 in bifurca tionsthereof. When the T-shaped lever is oscillated, its rearwardly-extendingarm 9 will be swung transversely of the runninggear and will carry withit the arms 7 of the pivotally-mounted spindles. This will effect achange in the direction of the front or steering wheels 3 of thebaby-carria e without lifting the front of the carriage. he pins 6,which secure the spindles to the front axle, are provided at their upperends with heads and with ke s at their lower ends; but any othersuitabfe means may be employed for retaining the pins (3 in the openingsof the ears and the inner ends of the front spindles.

The outer transversely-dis osed arm 12 of the substantially T-shapedever 10 is connected by a longitudinallydisposed rod or bar 15 with aninner arm 16 of atransverselydisposed rock-shaft 17, which is journaledin suitable bearings 18 of one of the side bars 4 at a point in rear ofthe rear axle 19. The transverse rock-shaft is also provided with anouter arm 20, which is connected by an upwardlyextendin bar or rod 21with a stceringdevcr lhe steering-lever 22 is fulcrumed at anintermediate point on a stud or pin 23, which projects laterally fromone of the handles 24 of the baby-carriage, and the said lever 22, whichis disposed longitudinally of the carriage, has its front arm connectedby a pin 25 with the said rod 21. The rear arm of the lever 22 isprovided with a suitable grip or handle 26, which is arranged adjacentto the handle 24 and. is adapted to be grasped simultaneously with thesame, whereby the baby-carriage may be steered without releasing thehandles by which it is propelled. The handles 24 extend rearwardly fromupright bars or members 27, which are suitably connected with the sidebars of the frame of the running-gear and which may be of any desiredconstruction. The front arm of the steering-lever is arranged within acurved guide or keeper 28, mounted on the contiguous handle and composedof inner and outer curved sides and connecting end portions. The innerside of the guide or keeper is provided with a central notch 29, whichis engaged by a lug or projection 30 of the steering-lever when thelatter is in a central position. The steering-lever is capable ofsufficient lateral spring to disen gage the lug or projection from thecentral notch of the curved guide or kee er, and when the lug orprojection is broug it opposite the'noteh it is carried automaticallyinto engagement with the same by the spring action of thesteering-lever. The direction of the front wheels is changed by swingingthe rear arm or handle portion of the steering-lever either upward ordownward from its intermediate position. The curved guide or keeper isformed integral with a sleeve or bearing 31, in which is mounted thestud or pin 23 and which is provided with front and rear flanges orprojections suitably secured to the contiguous handle 24 of thecarriage. The stud or pin 23 is suitably secured in the sleeve orhearing 31, which preferably consists of a casting and which forms aconvenient means for mounting the steering-lever onthehandle of thebaby-carriage.

When it is desired to leave the baby-carriage in the care of a smallchild or other incompetent person, the steering mechanism is heldagainst movement by means of a looking device 32, preferably consistingof a vertically-movable pin piercing the rent axle and rovided at itsupper end with an oblong hea which when turned longitudinally of thefront axle is adapted to fit against the inwardly-extendingtransversely-disposed arm 11 of the substantially T-shaped lever H). Thearm 11 is provided at its end with a straight face for engagement withthe locking device, which is vertically movable to lift its head out ofengagement with the arm 11 and to carry it mto engagement with the same.When in engagement with the arm 11, the Tshaped lever is firmly heldagainst pivotal movement. The head of the locking device is retained inengagement with the arm 11 by means of a coiled spring 33, disposed onthe pin of the locking device and interposed between the lower face ofthe front axle and a suitable stop 34, which is preferably in the formof a disk and which serves as a convenient means for grasping thelocking device when it is desired to lock or release the steeringmechanism. Any other suitable means may be employed for engaging theinwardly-extending arm 11 of the T-shaped lever for locking the steeringmechanism against movement.

Each of the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 35 is provided with a hub36, closed at the outer end and provided at the inner end with anexteriorly-arranged flange 37, spaced from the adjacent portion of thewheel to rovide a groove and adapted to be engaged )y a clip 38. Theclip 38 consists of a vertically-movable bolt or pin 39, piercing thespindle and provided at the upper end with a clamping-head having agroove at its lower face to receive the annular flange 37 of the hub.The clip is maintained in engagement with the flange of the hub by meansof a coiled spring 40, disposed on the pin and interposed between thelower face of the spindle and a nut 41 or other suitable stop of thelower end of the pin or bolt 39. When it is desired to remove any one ofthe wheels, it is only necessary to lift the clip out of engagement withthe annular flange 37. This construction also enables the wheels of ababy-carriage to be quickly secured on the spindles.

Havin thus fully described my invention, what I c aim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear having an axle and rovided with pivotally-mounted spindles,o' a lever mounted on the axle and having an arm extending along thesame, a locking device mounted on the axle and engaging the arm forholding the same in its position longitudinally of the said axle, and.operating mechanism for oscillating the lever.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear having an axle and. provided with pivoted spindles, a levermounted on the axle andhaving an arm extending to one side of therunning-gear, operating mechanism located at such side of therunning-gear and connected with the arm for oscillating the lever, andmeans for locking the lever against movement.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear having pivoted spindles provided with arms, of asubstantially T-shaped lever having, a longitudinal arm connected withthe arms of the spindles, said lever beinp also provided withtransversely-1lisposed arms, operating mechanism connected with one ofthe transverselydisposed arms, and a locking device for en gaging theother transversely-disposed arm.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear having pivotally-mounted. spindles, of a lever connectedwith the spindles and provided with. arms, and a locking deviceconsisting of a vertieally-n'lovable pin mounted on the runninggear andprovided with a headfor engaging the arm of the lever, said head beingcarried into and out of engagement with the arm by the vertical movementof the pin, and means for operating the lever.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear provided with pivotally-mounted spindles having arms, of alever provided with transverse and longitudinal arms, links connectingthe longitudinal arm with the arms of the spindles, a rock-shalt having;opposite arms, means for connecting one ol" the arms of the rock-shaftwith the transverse arm of the lever, and a steering-lever mounted onthe running-gear at the handle portion thereof and connected with theother arm of the rock-shaft.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with arunning-gear having pivoted spindles and provided with apropellinghandle, of a steering-lever fulerumed at an intermediate pointand provided at one of its arms with a lug, said lever being capable oflateral spring, a guide or keeper receiving the lever and having meansat one side for engagement with the lug, and means for connecting thesteering-lever with the pivoted spindle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto allixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. RODRIGUES.

Witnesses:

GERA LUTz, ANDREW BROZOVEY.

